Readings for today: Joshua 16-18, Luke 19:1-27, Psalms 87, Proverbs 13:11
I love the story Jesus tells today. Coming on the heels of the conversion of Zacchaeus, it reminds us that what we do with the gifts we’ve been given matters. We are blessed by God to be a blessing in this world. To put it in Jesus’ words, what we do with our mina matters!
A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, 'Engage in business until I come.' But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to reign over us. Jesus is using recent historical events to prove his point. King Herod went to Rome in 40 BC to receive his kingship as did his son Archelaus in 4 BC. In Herod’s case, he was successful but Archelaus was banished. In both cases, delegations were sent by the Jews to Rome to argue against their appointments. The Jewish people wanted nothing to do with the Herods. Now politics were dicey in those days. You couldn’t count on much because everything depended on the emperor’s whim. If you backed the wrong horse, you could be killed. So you can imagine the decision each servant had to make. They were each given a mina which represented about 100 days worth of wages for the working man in that time. They were to engage in their master’s business while he was gone. That means they were to publicly represent his interests. They were to stake their lives, their reputations, their future well-being on their master’s success. The closest analogy in today’s world might be betting on the outcome in Venezuela or Sudan right now. You have no idea if your master will succeed or not. No idea if your master will even survive. However, as Jesus tells it, the master does return. He has succeeded. He has been confirmed as king. And he calls his servants to account.
When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. Or more literally translated, how much of the master’s business had they been able to transact while he was gone. You see, this is not a parable about capitalism. It’s not about the profits they earned. It’s about the willingness of the servants to openly and publicly identify with the master while he’s absent. Would they put themselves at risk? Would they willingly make themselves a target? Would they look out for their master’s interests and represent him even though it would be costly and make them unpopular? Would they lay it all on the line, trusting in the master’s return? The first came before him, saying, 'Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.' And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.' And the second came, saying, 'Lord, your mina has made five minas.' And he said to him, 'And you are to be over five cities. Notice how the master rewards both men for their faithfulness not necessarily their success. Neither one of them claim any credit for themselves. Your mina, they said, has made ten minas. Your mina has made five minas more. They recognize the fruit of their labor is wholly dependent on the original gift from the master. Without that gift, they would have nothing. And because they are faithful in small things, the master rewards them with even greater responsibility in his kingdom. They shall rule over ten cities and five cities respectively.
Then the final servant approaches. Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.' This last servant lived in fear. Fear his master may not return. Fear he may have backed the wrong horse. Fear of what the community might say. So he didn’t do anything with the mina he was given. He simply kept it safe. He hedged his bets. He put it in a place where no one could get to it. And when the master returned, he fell under judgment.
Friends, what you do with your mina matters. The mina is the priceless gift of the gospel that Jesus entrusts into our hands until He returns. You see, Jesus is the master who died and rose again and ascended into heaven to receive the Kingdom from His Heavenly Father. Before He left, Jesus called his servants. Called His disciples to Himself and entrusted them with the treasure of the gospel. That treasure has been passed down generation after generation until it was placed in our hands. And one day we will have to go before the master. One day Jesus will return and demand an account from us...His servants. He will take a look at our lives and we will be judged on how well we represented Him. Did the gospel bear fruit in our hands? Did our friends and neighbors and loved ones hear about Jesus from our lips? In the midst of a hostile culture where publicly declaring yourself a Christian can cost you a job or a promotion or a relationship, did we remain loyal? Faithful? Bold in our witness? How many lives did we touch? How many people did we impact? Is the world around us blessed by our influence and desire to work for a more just society? This is what it means to put God’s “minas” to work, friends! It means we take all that we are and all that we have and we transact as much of our Master’s business as possible before we either appear before Him or He comes again. What you do with your mina matters!
Readings for tomorrow: Joshua 19-20, Luke 19:28-48, Psalms 88, Proverbs 13:12-14